


Pacific Northwest Alien Encounters

by Brumeier



Series: Unexpected Discoveries 'Verse [11]
Category: Stargate Atlantis, The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: ushobwri, Established Relationship, Hate Crimes, M/M, Monster Hunters, Reality TV, UFOs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-28 21:02:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5105654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The Pacific Northwest is known for active volcanoes, lush forests, and higher than average rainfall. What you might not know is that this region also has a high volume of UFO sightings. In one month alone, the National UFO Reporting Center logged in thirty-six reports of strange lights in the sky over Washington. The MU team is heading to Cascade, site of a recent spate of sightings, to see if we can have an alien encounter of our own. Beam us up, Scotty!</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pacific Northwest Alien Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> This is for [Monster Fest 2015 at the You Should Be Writing](http://ushobwri.livejournal.com/84604.html) comm on LJ, covering Human Monsters day.

_The Pacific Northwest is known for active volcanoes, lush forests, and higher than average rainfall. What you might not know is that this region also has a high volume of UFO sightings. In one month alone, the National UFO Reporting Center logged in thirty-six reports of strange lights in the sky over Washington. The MU team is heading to Cascade, site of a recent spate of sightings, to see if we can have an alien encounter of our own. Beam us up, Scotty!_

“Well, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.”

“I don’t see how this is my fault,” Kyle said. He held an ice pack to his head, generously provided by their hosts at the Cascade PD.

“This is a first.” Laura sat in the corner of the holding cell, sprawled out like she didn’t have a care in the world. “We’ve never been arrested _before_ we started an investigation.”

“We haven’t been arrested,” John said. He was very manfully ignoring his bruised and bleeding knuckles. “We’re being held for questioning.”

“Doesn’t feel much different from this side of the bars,” Rodney replied. He couldn’t sit still, and was pacing as best he could in the confined area.

Laura was right. They hadn’t even started the investigation yet. Their plane had landed at Cascade International a mere three hours ago, and they’d stopped briefly at the hotel before heading on to Rainier University to meet with the ufologist. They never even made it inside the Sciences building.

“I don’t know why they put me in here, I was an innocent bystander.”

Rodney rolled his eyes at her. “Oh, I’m sorry. That wasn’t you kicking that kid in the balls?”

“He deserved it!” she said, raising her voice so she could be heard over in the next cell, where their combatants were also waiting for their chance to talk to the cops.

“You broke my sack, you fucking bitch!” One of the disheveled college students shouted back.

Ronon surged off the bench and grabbed hold of the bars. “You open your mouth again, I’ll break your face.”

“Hey, easy big guy.” Rodney shooed Ronon away from the bars. “Let’s not turn this into an actual arrest, okay?”

“Rodney’s right,” John said. “We’ll get this sorted out, and those jerkoffs will get what’s coming to them.”

"Fuck you, asshole." It would’ve sounded tougher if the guy who said it wasn’t talking through a broken nose.

The brawl had happened because John had a terrible sense of direction. Instead of getting to the Sciences building from the front, they ended up coming from the back, which was partially blocked by a waist-high brick wall with bushes planted along the length of it. Turned out to be a good spot for four big college boys to beat the crap out of a young woman in a summer dress. It had taken John precisely three seconds to assess the situation, toss Rodney his camera, and jump into the fray.

Rodney admittedly hadn’t been much help. But honestly, he wasn’t sure what he could’ve done short of zapping someone with his Taser, and that was still packed in his luggage. Ronon and Kyle had waded in after John, throwing punches, while Laura tried to extract the poor kid that was getting pummeled. Rodney’d made a grab for one of the students who’d decided to get while the getting was good, but he’d been hampered by the camera and the guy had barreled right past him, nearly knocking him down.

By the time campus security showed up the boys had been mostly subdued, nearly everyone was bleeding, and the city cops had been called along with an ambulance for the girl on the receiving end of the beating. Rodney was no medical doctor, but the kid had looked bad. Really bad. What kind of assholes beat up a girl, for goodness sakes?

Everyone had been taken into custody, and their phones had been confiscated, which meant they had no way of letting Evan know what had happened or where they were. He’d volunteered to go downtown to take some establishing shots of the city.

It felt like they’d been waiting forever when the door to the holding area finally opened up and a plainclothes cop appeared. He was tall and somber, casually dressed in khaki slacks and a blue button-down shirt, shoulder holster strapped in place. He was accompanied by another college student, though nothing like the one that had given Rodney the slip; this guy was too short, his hair too long and curly. 

Rodney waited for the cop to say something, but he just stood there between the holding cells, taking deep breaths and tipping his head from one side to the other. Rodney looked back at John, who just shrugged.

“Hey. Excuse me for interrupting whatever it is you’re doing there, but can we move this along?” Rodney waved his arm and the cop’s head whipped around.

“This one,” he said to the curly-haired kid, who inexplicably had keys to the holding cell door.

“Can you come with us please? Detective Ellison needs to get your statement.”

“What? Just me? Really, if you want the best account you should just take us all together.” As much as Rodney wanted to get out of there, he was reluctant to be pulled out from his group. What if they made a mistake and charged him with assault? What if this detective was a dirty cop and tried to beat a confession out of him? What if –

“Clear blue skies, Rodney,” John said. “Just tell him what happened and we’ll be waiting here when you get back.”

“Panic attack?” Curly asked. “Believe me, man, I know what that’s like. Don’t worry. We just have some questions. I promise no-one’s gonna hit you with a phone book.”

“Is that supposed to be reassuring?” 

“Fight the power, McKay,” Ronon said, holding up his fist.

“Find out if either of those guys is single,” Laura stage-whispered.

Kyle sighed. “You’re all fired.”

For some reason that made Rodney feel better. His team wouldn’t abandon him, no matter what happened. He followed the detective out of Holding and through the bullpen to an elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“Upstairs to Major Crimes.”

Nerves started creeping in. “That sounds serious. I mean, it was just a fight, right? Bad, sure, but not a major crime by any stretch of the imagination. Even if the girl died, it would fall on Homicide, wouldn’t it? Oh, God, did she die?”

Curly patted him on the shoulder. “Easy, man. She’s not dead, but she’s in pretty serious condition.”

Rodney looked at him, trying to figure out how he fit in at the police station. He was dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, his hair loose to his shoulders. Maybe he was a detective too, handling undercover assignments at the university. A _21 Jump Street_ kind of thing. Or maybe he was an intern or paper pusher or something.

Things were pretty quiet up on Major Crimes. Just a couple people, typing away at their computers or talking on the phone. They passed a conference room, where more of the action seemed to be taking place, and Rodney could see a large board covered with crime scene photographs and writing in different shades of dry erase marker.

The interrogation room was pretty standard, not that Rodney had all that much personal experience. He’d watched his fair share of police procedurals, though, so he knew what to expect: table with a bolt on it for handcuffs, two uncomfortable chairs, one-way mirror and a thermostat set too high. Curly brought him a cup of lukewarm water and then excused himself, probably to watch from the other side of the mirror.

“Mr. McKay –”

“It’s doctor, actually, if you don’t mind.”

“My apologies. Dr. McKay, please be advised that you are here for questioning only, you aren’t being charged with a crime. This interview is being recorded. I know you already gave a preliminary statement to the responding officers, but why don’t you run through it for me again.” Detective Ellison sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, and waited expectantly. 

Mouth suddenly dry, Rodney took a big swallow of water. “I’m the technical specialist for Mysterious Unknown. You know? The reality show with the monsters and stuff? We’re in town to do a piece on UFO sightings and went to the university to meet with Dr. Scott, the ufologist.”

The detective tipped his head to the side, and then gave Rodney a nod.

“We got lost getting to the Sciences building and ended up in the back. That’s when we saw those boys beating up the girl. We tried to stop them. That’s really the whole story, Detective. Campus cops came, and then Cascade PD came, and here we are. If you call Richard Woolsey, he can verify who we are and why we’re here.”

Rodney pulled a card out of his wallet, emblazoned with the stylized question mark that was the MU logo, and slid it across the pitted surface of the table. Detective Ellison picked it up and studied it briefly before tucking it into his shirt pocket.

“So you came upon the victim being attacked and just jumped in. No hesitation, no thought to call the authorities?”

“There wasn’t any time. Believe me, I’m not a fighter. Solving things with your fists is never a good plan. But that girl…it was bad. She looked really bad.”

The detective leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “Would it make any difference to know that the victim is transgender?”

Rodney felt a little queasy all of a sudden. “That was a hate crime?”

“We have every reason to believe so, yes.”

“No. It doesn’t make any difference. It wouldn’t have.” Rodney knew he was lucky. The MU team had been nothing but supportive of his relationship with John. He knew it wasn’t like that for everyone, but he’d never been so close to that kind of hate before. Why did a person’s gender orientation or sexual orientation inflame some people so much?

“Tell me about the fourth man. The one who got away.”

“I’m terrible with faces,” Rodney admitted. “Um…he was tall, on the thin side. Kind of wiry, I guess? I remember he was wearing a Ramones t-shirt, if that helps.”

“Do you think you could sit down with a sketch artist?”

“No! I mean, I don’t have to. I’m pretty sure we have the guy on video. We were taping – well, we’re always taping – and if you have a TV or a laptop I can hook the camera up to, I can see what we got. The other cops took it, along with our phones.” Rodney felt relieved. He’d never remember enough for a sketch artist, but the camera should prove a wealth of information, including the fact that his team was riding to the rescue.

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened just enough for Curly to stick his head through. “I’ll track down the camera.”

“Good. And let’s get Dr. McKay’s friends out of Holding. We’ll set up in the conference room.”

Rodney let out a breath he wasn’t even aware he was holding, and hoped he’d be able to deliver the evidence he was sure they had.

*o*o*o*

Kyle had rescheduled with Dr. Scott once the team was released from police custody, and the investigation had been pushed back a day. They’d all split off after that, to lick their wounds and do a little sightseeing. John and Rodney ended up on the roof of the Cascade Arms Hotel, lying on blankets and looking up at the night sky.

“Too much ambient light to get a good view,” Rodney grumbled, without any real heat. He’d felt off-center ever since meeting with Detective Ellison and his task force. They’d covered up the crime board, but not before Rodney had seen enough to know that the trans girl wasn’t the only recent victim of a hate crime.

“It’s good enough to see Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.” John pointed. 

“Cassiopeia, too,” Rodney replied.

“And Andromeda. You know, in Greek myth Andromeda was Cassiopeia’s daughter.”

“You’re into Greek mythology?”

John shrugged, his shoulder rubbing against Rodney’s. “Original _Clash of the Titans_.”

“Ray Harryhausen? Hmm. I approve.” Rodney nudged John’s foot with his own. “How’re your knuckles?” 

“Sore. I’ll live.”

“Have you ever…I mean, did anyone ever…”

John reached over and took hold of Rodney’s hand. “No. Nothing like what happened today.”

Rodney could hear what John didn’t say, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. There were things he wanted to express in that moment, promises he wanted to make, but they stuck in his throat. Instead he rolled up on one arm and leaned over for a kiss, soft and sweet and hopefully enough to let John know what he wanted to say.

John made a little hum of pleasure in the back of his throat, which Rodney could feel, and tugged him closer so that Rodney was sprawled across John’s chest. It felt daring, making out in semi-public where anyone could stumble across them. Which, of course, someone did.

“Is this a bad time?”

Rodney broke the kiss with an audible pop, which made him flush in embarrassment, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Detective Ellison and his curly-haired sidekick, who’d turned out to be some kind of consultant-slash-partner, were standing a few feet away looking amused.

John got to his feet and pulled Rodney up as well, so that they weren’t at a disadvantage. “Detective. How did you find us up here?”

“I’m actually pretty competent at my job,” Detective Ellison replied with a smirk.

“Is there a problem?” Rodney thought they’d had everything squared away with the police department, and he worried that something had gone wrong.

“I wanted to thank you.”

“We caught the bastard,” Sandburg said with a wide grin, rocking back and forth on his heels. “We’ve been chasing our tails for weeks. If it wasn’t for your footage, we still would be.”

“We’d have caught him,” the detective said, turning a disapproving look on his partner. “It just would’ve taken longer.”

“One guy was behind all those attacks?” Rodney asked. 

“He was stirring things up,” Sandburg said. He moved his arm in a circular motion. “Masking his own crimes in the attacks he instigated. You know, I used to think Rainier was a progressive, forward-thinking school, but clearly we still have a ways to go.”

The guy sounded like he was taking that personally, and to Rodney’s surprise Detective Ellison put an arm around his shoulders.

“All you can do is try to educate them, Chief. Your tolerance seminar is already full, so that’s a good sign.”

“I guess.” Sandburg shrugged. “Hey, so, the Mayor wants to give you guys an award. Which you totally deserve, by the way. You and your friends are the real heroes of the day.”

“Let’s not overdo it, Sandburg.” The detective pulled his arm away, but Rodney was pretty sure he’d given the kid a squeeze first. Interesting. Partners in every sense of the word, maybe? Or maybe he was just an affectionate guy. “Call the PD tomorrow, ask for Rhonda in Major Crimes. She’ll give you all the details. I know Mayor Miles will want to do a full press conference, just so you’re prepared.”

"Great,” John muttered.

“Don’t worry, Kyle will do all the talking.” Rodney knew John was much happier behind the scenes. Personally, he didn’t mind the team getting some recognition. They’d helped catch a dangerous criminal! That was a big deal, and he’d gladly stand in front of the press and smile modestly as their vital contribution was noted. 

“It was nice meeting you guys.” Sandburg shook their hands. “Good luck with filming tomorrow. Do you know yet where you’re gonna go? There’s this spot right outside of town that has excellent views of the night sky.”

“Might be worth checking out. Here, let me give you my card.” Rodney pulled out his wallet. “Give me a call tomorrow. Maybe you could show us where it is?”

“Oh, yeah, absolutely! You know, a friend of mine is an extraterrestrial anthropologist, I can probably get you a meeting with her.”

“Sandburg,” Detective Ellison said in a warning tone.

"Come on, Jim. They lost a whole day helping us. The least I can do is hook them up.”

“What the hell is an extraterrestrial anthropologist?” Rodney asked.

“She’s a trip. I’ll call you tomorrow morning, get it all set up. And…maybe I can come along on your investigation? From a strictly anthropological point of view, your search into cryptids and ghosts and aliens speaks to a larger sense of –”

“Can it, Einstein,” Detective Ellison said. “Come on, I’m starving. And it’s your turn to buy. Gentlemen, don’t make me have to come back here and bust you for indecent exposure.”

He dropped a wink and then pulled Sandburg back to the door that led to the stairs, leaving John and Rodney alone again.

“I thought they’d never leave,” John murmured. He put one hand on the back of Rodney’s neck and the other up under his shirt, pulling him into a kiss that was as far removed from soft and sweet as a person could possibly get.

“You know, I don’t think he meant that as a challenge,” Rodney said breathlessly.

“What can I say? You make me want to do indecent things.”

Rodney knew he was blushing, but he didn’t care. John made him feel like a teenager again, which was at times completely unbelievable and also fucking hot. He pulled John back down on the blankets, prepared to do some exploring as long as clothes stayed on; Rodney was many things, but an exhibitionist wasn’t one of them.

He’d just slid his hand down the back of John’s pants when the man went all stiff, and not in the good way. Rodney immediately thought he’d done something wrong, and tried to get a read on what that might have been, but John wasn’t even looking at him.

“What’s wrong?”

John just kept staring up, and with one hand grabbed a handful of hair on the back of Rodney’s head and tugged on it until Rodney tipped his head back.

“What are you…oh.”

There was a light in the sky, bigger and brighter than any of the stars or planets that Rodney had ever seen with the naked eye. The shape was oblong, and it was moving very slowly.

“Not a commercial plane,” John said in a strangled voice.

“No,” Rodney agreed. “Not a satellite, either. It’s not moving with enough velocity to be a meteorite or a piece of space junk. But I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for…oh. Oh, no.”

The object reversed direction, and then suddenly streaked across the sky and vanished in a flare of white light. Rodney blinked until the after-image left his vision, then looked down at John.

“We did not. Tell me we did not.”

John looked just as gobsmacked. “Uh…maybe they’re testing concept aircraft out of McChord?”

“Maybe.” Rodney knew there had to be a logical explanation. There always was. But he remembered John’s ghostly encounter in Turkey, and the Yeti they’d heard outside their tent in the Himalayas, and the giant flying something that had knocked him on his ass in Indiana. “Maybe we saw a UFO.”

“Maybe,” John echoed. He sounded uncertain, but there was a particular gleam in his eye that said he wanted to believe. “Did you see how fast it went?”

“There’d be an incredible amount of g-forces involved at those speeds. Unless they had inertial dampeners of some kind to keep the passengers from turning into so much goo.” Rodney sat back on his heels. It was an interesting problem, from a scientific point of view. If they _had_ seen an actual alien spacecraft, it would’ve had to travel huge distances to get to Earth, which presumably meant they had far greater technology at their disposal than human beings had. The possibilities were dizzying.

“You’re pretty damn sexy when you get that science look on your face,” John said. He surged up and kissed Rodney again, all tongue and heat. “Let’s go to our room, so we don’t have to worry about scaring the locals with our indecency.”

“What? Oh, right. Good idea.” Rodney let himself be steered in the direction of the stairs while John gathered up the blankets.

If there was anything that could distract him from the possibility of alien life in the universe, it was John Sheppard.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** When we decided to add this category to the Monster Fest this year, I immediately knew I wanted to bring my Sentinel OTP into the mix.
> 
> This is my last fic for the 2015 round of Monster Fest. Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments, I love all of you! ::grins::


End file.
